Surprises
by thusspakekate
Summary: During the rebuilding of Hogwarts, Draco sees Neville in a new-and surprising-light.


**Author's Note: This is a short little ficlet I wrote for a challenge at Hogwarts-is-Home over on livejournal. This is a slightly cleaned up and expanded version. **

**A few weeks ago a friend of mine said the only Draco pairing she couldn't imagine was Draco/Neville. CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.**

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><p>It all started when Neville killed Nagini.<p>

Watching from the safety of his mother's arms, Draco was shocked to see that the awkward, tubby Longbottom had grown into a fit and rather impressive young man. Although it was neither the time nor the place to dwell on such things, thoughts of Neville's new-found swagger haunted Draco in the months after the end of the war. Neville was canonized as one of the heroes of the war; he was heralded by The Prophet, honored by the Ministry, and welcomed with open arms into high society. Neville was now a man of power and there was nothing that attracted Draco more than a powerful man.

"All right, Malfoy?" Neville asked as he shifted a large piece of rubble. Both young men had volunteered in the effort to rebuild Hogwarts. Well, Neville had volunteered because that was the kind of bloke he was; Draco had been ordered by the Ministry.

"Just a bit tired," Draco mumbled lamely, trying not to notice the way that the muscles under Neville's arms bulged and flexed each time he cleared a piece of the fallen castle.

Neville wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand and nodded. "Same here, mate. Reckon we've earned ourselves a break." He took a seat on a pile of rubble and grabbed his knapsack. "Butterbeer?" he asked, offering Draco a brown bottle. Draco nodded and settled himself next to Neville, painfully aware of how close their overheated bodies were.

"Cheers," Neville raised his bottle. Draco couldn't tear his eyes away as he watched Neville's lips wrap around the rim of the beer, his head lean back, and his adam's apple bounce as he swallowed the cold drink. Draco's mouth was suddenly very dry.

"Never taken you for the manual labor type," Neville continued, nudging Draco's knee with his own. Draco's heart was beating rapidly. It took every ounce of his self-control not to throw himself at the other man when they were working, how would be possibly stop himself if Neville continued with such casual familiarities. Draco stared hard at his bottle and took a steadying breath.

"I could say the same about you, Longbottom." Draco hoped his voice sounded more confident and relaxed than he felt.

Neville gave a small chuckle and turned towards Draco, leaving scant inches between their knees. "I think you'll find that I'm full of surprises these days," he said quietly.

Draco stared at him in shock. Was Neville Longbottom trying to flirt with him? A few months ago Draco would have laughed in the other boy's face, but now all he could do was gulp. "I'm not sure what you mean," he replied shakily.

Neville's smile was warm and open, containing none of the hatred or distrust that so many other people directed towards the Malfoy family these days. Draco's heart swelled just to see it. "I think you do," Neville said with a wink.

Suddenly Neville was standing again, stretching his aching muscles and giving Draco quite a show. "Come on," Neville said, extending his hand, "let's get back to work. Sooner we shift this lot, sooner we can get out of here."

They resumed their work, but Draco's mind was racing with thoughts of Neville's odd behavior. After another hour they had finished that day's task and collected their belongings.

"So, Malfoy," Neville began, with just a hint of his old, unsure self in his voice, "I was wondering if you had plans for tonight."

Draco stood up quickly and could swear that he felt Neville's gaze burning a hole in his back. "Not as such," he answered coolly, not daring to turn around. "Why?"

"I thinking about having a drink at the Three Broomsticks before heading back to London and wanted to know if you'd like to join me?"

Draco spun around in shock and began to sputter, thoroughly confused as to what was happening.

"Oh, come on," Neville said with a lop-sided grin that made Draco's knees go weak. "First round's on me." Not waiting for an answer, Neville began down the path towards Hogsmeade.

Draco hesitated but only for a moment. He wasn't sure why this bloody gorgeous man was suddenly so interested in spending time with him, but he'd be a fool to let the opportunity pass.

Draco jogged until he caught up with Neville and fell in step next to him. "Fraternizing with the enemy, Longbottom? I'm shocked," he teased.

"Told you I was full of surprises," Neville said with a wry smile. "Trust me, this is just the beginning."

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><p><strong>Reviews are always welcome, my loves.<strong>


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